Listen: They Only Want You – Not Your Cleaning Employees

Watch: They Only Want You – Not Your Cleaning Employees

Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.

Question: They Only Want You – What Do You Do?

“Hi, my name is Victoria, and I have been running my own cleaning business for about seven years now. I’ve gotten pretty busy. I am now having to turn away work. I’ve just gotten so busy I can’t take on any more clients. It’s always been a goal of mine to expand my business, and I’m at that point now where I feel like I can and I want to. I just have a problem that I’m running into now. I’m wondering if you could help me out with … advice.

I have quite a few of my clients telling me that they do not want me to bring anybody else into their place to help me. They just want me in their place, and that’s it. I don’t know how to handle it.

I don’t know if I’m supposed let these loyal clients that have been with me for many years go. And get new clients so that I’m able to hire help and bring help. And then I can expand my business.

Or do I keep them and just bring help where I can help?

I hope you’re able to give me some advice on this because I am interested in expanding my business. I appreciate everything.”

Answer: They Only Want You – Get Creative

That’s an excellent question. You are in a situation where you’re trying to grow your business and your customers only want you. They do you want to bring anybody else with you, but you’re trying to grow your business.

This is not so different from a child who has lived at home for 15 years as the only child. And then the parents discover that they’re pregnant again.

Surprise!

Now the once only child feels like her whole life is out of whack.

There is new focus and energy on this new little person. She just knows her life is about to turn upside down because this new person is moving in.

That’s not so different than this business owner’s situation.

Reassurance – They Only Want You Too

What you have to do is you have to reassure the existing child that they are important too.

Yes, this consumes a lot of our energy and our time and our focus.

Because right now it upsets our lives too. And we have to completely renovate everything in order welcome a new little person into our home.

It’s going to take everybody working together.

Change the Structure of the Story

So you go to a customer’s house as a solo cleaner. This is an opportunity to sell the customer for the benefit of them only having one house cleaner.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m going to make sure that all the work is done. I’m going to be responsible for your house.”

As you expand, you have to resell them on a completely different story. “I’m growing my business. I’m expanding. Instead of one person that you’re familiar with, now there are two.”

This is a Good Thing

It’s not so bad. Because as you change the structure of the story, you are letting them know how it benefits them.

Here are some examples. “If I get sick, instead of skipping your house cleaning, I now have a replacement that can come in.” Or, “Instead of just me inspecting my own work, there will be two of us inspecting each other. This way, we will make sure nothing got missed.”

There are ways you can resell that scenario to make sure that the customer is comfortable.

They Only Want You – Why?

They’re not comfortable because they know you. Because they like you and because you are the person they’ve built a relationship with.

What you need to reassure them is this: I’m still in charge, and I’ve still got your back.

The people that I hire will be drug screened. I will train them. They will be honest.

They Only Want You Becase You Are In Control

As your business grows you want to paint a picture of organization. You don’t want to make it sound like you are hiring people because you are scattered, disorganized or don’t have enough time to clean yourself.

If you say, “I’m getting so busy I just don’t have time. I need another person.”

What you’re doing is you’re losing the goodwill that you’ve created. You are making it look like you’re scattered and have this frenetic energy. Now instead of you doing a good job, there are going to be two people that are half-hearting the effort. If that makes sense.

They Only Want You Because They Know You Provide Excellent Service

” I want to provide you excellent quality. So I want to make sure that I have somebody backing me up so that I don’t miss anything. That way they can jump in and they can cover the gaps where we are growing as a business.

And my attention has a lot of different focuses. I want to make sure that no matter what happens, your needs are cared for. That is why I’m bringing another person in.”

Guide the Conversation to the Good

Yes, there needs to be a conversation about it. And there may need to be some growth disclosure, but the conversation should be about good growth, not the bad growth.

You want to focus on the positives. You don’t want to focus on all the things that forced you to make this decision. They don’t care. That’s background stuff. It’s too much information. They don’t care why you need to expand.

What they care about, are their needs going to be cared for.

Satisfaction Guarantee Still Stands

“My satisfaction guarantee still stands. If for any reason you’re not satisfied, we will come back at no charge and we will re-clean whatever.

Your priority is our number one priority. I have extra people I’m bringing onboard to make sure that all your needs are met.”

New Energy, Good Energy

Yes, there will be a new energy, but it will be a good energy.

There will be getting to know somebody new, but guess what?

Oftentimes, the new sibling becomes a well appreciated and well-loved member of the family.

It just takes this weird little energy hiccup to try to get over.

They Only Want You – Growing Pains

As you do, oftentimes it’s a way, way, way better situation.

We just have to take a deep breath and say, “I know I’m expanding my business. I know I’m growing. Yes, it’s not so different from an only child getting a new sibling. I know it’s weird.”

And admit that it’s weird, admit that it’s crazy, admit that it’s uncomfortable. It’s going to be uncomfortable for you. You’re the new parent that’s bringing that person in. It’s going to be different for all you. All your lives are about to change.

They Only Want You in Changing Times

No matter what your business pattern is, you can’t clean forever.

At some point, even if they keep you on for 20 years, at some point you have to transition out of being the one that cleans and move on.

They might move or you might move. You will get older and retire at some point.

They Only Want You – Unless You Set It Up Differently From Day One

From day one going forward, as you pick up a new account, what you may do is say, “Hey listen, I’m a solo cleaner today. As my business expands, I’ll be bringing on new people.”

You want to remind them that you will be training them. And they will have the same standard of excellence that you are providing now.

When is “the Future?”

No surprises. “In the future,” and you can always paint it in the future.

We don’t know if the future is two weeks, two months, two years, or 20 years.

“Somewhere in the future, someone else will be joining me in my business.”

Just let that be a given so that there are no surprises when it happens.

Together We Are Better – When They Only Want You

If as an only child you always knew there would be another sibling, when it happens it’s not such a scare. Because it’s not that your parents love you any less.

In the same way, it is not that you love your clients any less. But it’s that there is a new energy that’s coming into our force.

Together we are better.

Alrighty, that’s my two cents for today. Until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.

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